Hello, Nurse
by Measured
Summary: "Well, I still think you're pretty," Nephenee said. She sat on the side of the bed and laid her hand over a bulge in the quilt which had to be Heather's arm, unless she took weapons to bed with her. "You're always pretty, even with a stuffy nose. See, look at you in my weddin' quilt. You look as pretty as a picture." Heather/Nephenee


Title: Hello, Nurse  
Series: Fire Emblem 10  
Character/pairing: Heather/Nephenee  
Rating: PG-13  
Author's note: hc_bingo: minor illness. Post-canon, established relationship.

Basically, I wanted to get through my (erstwhile) fever by writing Heather acting like sick Barney from HIMYM when Robin was taking care of him.

Thanks to Feral for the beta~  
**.**

Heather was under a big quilt Nephenee's grandmammy had made her—her wedding quilt, it was supposed to be. It was all kinds of warm and made of many rags and old clothes to make a nice warm and cozy quilt called a crazy quilt, of all things. This one had scraps from old clothes in drab olive green, bright red from a best dress which had been torn, deep blue from a pair of old pants, and a striped gingham pattern all sewn between it. Heather had stayed with her mama for a while, but Heather and her mama quarreled sometimes, and most of all, Heather needed some space, so she'd rented herself a room above a shop lately so they could have some privacy.

Nephenee had been saving up for a bigger place, but she hadn't mentioned it yet. Heather would never want to be a farmer's wife, so she'd begun to look for places near Heather's mama and not too rural.

It wouldn't do to let Heather know until she had the whole amount, anyways.

The room hadn't been decorated much, considering that Heather had only just got there a few months ago, and didn't plan to stay. There were little parts of herself there now, though. A helmet she'd forgotten, the quilt, a pair of her boots under the bed, and even a few of the trinkets she'd saved up to give Heather which were displayed prominently.

When Heather saw her, she moaned dramatically and pushed herself to reach for Nephenee.

"It's awful, Nephenee," Heather said. "Absolutely _awful._"

Nephenee leaned over her and tutted. "I done talked to the shopkeeper downstairs and he says you got a sniffle. It doesn't look that bad, though."

"But it is!" Heather protested. Nephenee leaned down to put the back of her hand to Heather's forehead.

"You ain't got a fever, but your nose is pretty stuffed up and red."

"I told you," Heather said petulantly.

"My ma always said the best thing is a shot of jack, some soup and some good hard work to chase that illness away," Nephenee said.

"I look awful, I _feel _ awful. I can't work like this."

"Well, I suppose with work like yours, you can take off whenever you want," Nephenee said.

"I still need to eat, and without money, I can't feed myself."

"You know I'd never go and let you starve, and neither would your mama, even if you are fightin' again," Nephenee said.

"I _suppose,_" Heather said. She sneezed and reached for her hankie at the edge of the bed. She groaned as she wiped her nose and pushed the hankie aside in disgust.

"You know what would make me happy? What would make me _really _ happy?" Heather said. She looked up at Nephenee with a pleading gaze.

"What, Heather? I'll do it, as long as you ain't wantin' somethin' like jewels stolen, or somethin'," Nephenee said. "I ain't no good at stealin'."

"Oh, _pshah. _If I want jewels stolen, I'd steal them myself. What I want is you to wear that cleric outfit I just got."

Heather pointed to the chair by the bed, which conveniently already had the clothing laid over it. Nephenee picked it up and frowned. It wasn't like any cleric outfit Nephenee had ever seen. For one, it was awful short, both in skirt and on the top. For the second, it had a little hat that went with it, and leggings, too, both with a criss-cross shape of red on it.

Another look showed even more she hadn't seen about it, like that there were cut edges on the sides of the already short skirt to make it even more skimpy, and that it looked a little filmy, and maybe even a little see-through in the white material.

"I can't see anyone takin' any vows in an outfit like this," Nephenee said.

"Vows are hardly the point with a dress like _that_," Heather said. She smiled suggestively—or tried, at least. Her attempt to seduce was broken by a fit of coughing, and then a groan as she blew her nose again.

"Stupid illness, getting in the way of all my plans," Heather said. Her usually honey sweet voice was lower, and more husky due to whatever sickness had taken up shop in her.

"Well, I still think you're pretty," Nephenee said. She sat on the side of the bed and laid her hand over a bulge in the quilt which had to be Heather's arm, unless she took weapons to bed with her. "You're always pretty, even with a stuffy nose. See, look at you in my weddin' quilt. You look as pretty as a picture."

"You're a sweetie. If I were not hideous and stricken with plague, I'd pull you under here. As I cannot, _please _ attend to me in that dress!"

"Well, if it'd make you feel better," Nephenee said.

"It will, it really will!" Heather said.

She was never good with the kind of cute things Heather would bring back for her. Mostly she just felt awkward, because she couldn't be sexy if her life depended on it, not like Heather could, anyways. But Heather always swore up and down that she looked good in them, even if they were just peeled right off on her. Nephenee didn't see the point of spending too much money for too little material that just ended up on the floor, but Heather liked them, and that was what mattered.

Then again, knowing Heather, she didn't pay nothing for them.

Nephenee picked up the little skimpy thing and threw it over her shoulder.

"Really, do you have to go behind to change? It's not like I haven't seen you unclothed before," Heather said. She was pouting again.

"I'll be right back," she said. She leaned down to kiss Heather's cheek, which made Heather a little less pouty and a little happier.

The dress was even skimpier than she thought. She pulled it on anyways.

Nephenee tried to pose, even though she always felt a little silly trying to be sexy.

"I...got your dress on," Nephenee said. Yes, it was stating the obvious, but she couldn't think of anything else to say. What on the green grasses of Tellius was sexy about a _Cleric_?

"I see that," Heather said. She smiled that seductive smile of hers, but it was broken off by a sneeze.

"Stupid illness," Heather said.

Nephenee sat on the sit of the bed.

"I brought you some of grandmammy's soup," she said.

"I'm much to weak to eat it myself! Please, Nephy. Be a dear and feed me," Heather said.

Nephenee frowned in worry. Was Heather being just a drama queen, or had she misjudged the sickness? Maybe she should go get a little something more than soup and a scanty outfit.

"Should I be takin' you to see a healer?"

"No, you're all I need to cure me," Heather said. She coughed again, and looked. "Please don't leave me, Nephy. I'll wither away into nothing."

"If you say so," Nephenee said. She sat on the side of the bed and opened up the little bundle until she'd unearthed the canteen of soup. She pulled out a wooden spoon she kept handy for when guard duty went long and filled it. Nephenee made sure to blow on it.

"My grandmammy makes a great soup, now open up," she said.

Heather propped herself up on the many pillows, many of them gifts from Nephenee's grandmammy who'd gone and sewed them for Nepehenee's hope chest, intending them for Nephenee's new house after her marriage.

Heather opened her pretty mouth up and took a sip.

"It ain't too hot, is it?" Nephenee asked.

"No, it's okay...I can barely taste it, though," Heather said.

"Really? Grandmammy makes her soup pretty spicy."

"Too stuffed up," Heather said. "Damnable plague. I must be cursed."

"Nah, you're just a mite bit sick, that's all."

Nephenee gave her another spoonful, and Heather dutifully took it. Soon enough, the canteen was all gone.

"Now, that was mighty good of you," Nephenee said. "I guess you deserve...a reward."

She leaned down to kiss Heather's red cheek. Then she lifted up the covers and climbed inside. It was a whole lot warmer under them than out in the breeze with her behind hanging out of that skimpy little outfit.

"You might catch my illness," Heather said. "Then you'll feel awful just like I do."

"Then you'll have to just take care of me, dress and all," Nephenee said. She stroked Heather's hair, not caring a white that it was a bit dirty. She was Nephenee's girl, after all. Things like that didn't phase her. She got dirtier just plowing fields and doing guard duty.

Heather smiled at her. Even with cracked lips, a red stuffy nose and messy hair she was still a sight for sore eyes.

"I can manage that."

She wrapped her arms about Heather, careful not to get too tight, lest Heather's stomach was tender. Heather let out a satisfied sigh and curled close into her.

"I feel tons better already. Still don't feel frisky, though. Snuggle and an IOU?" Heather said.

Nephenee blushed a mite bit. "I didn't come to s-seduce you, I came to make you feel better."

"Well, that's good, because I feel tons better already..." She trailed off, her eyelids drooping.

"Go on, sleep well. You need it."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Heather said. She laid her head on Nephenee's chest, and pretty soon her breathing evened. Nephenee watched her sleep, running her fingers down Heather's back.

"You'll be all right, soon. Grandmammy's soup never disappoints. Good thing, too...I don't like seein' you unhappy. I'm gonna make an honest woman out of you–well, as honest as you'll ever get, at least, considerin' your line of work. I'm gonna do everythin' I can to make it so you're as happy as a girl can be."

Heather didn't stir. Nephenee didn't expect her to. One of these days she'd have to actually tell all this to her when she was awake instead of dreaming it away in her head or saying it when she was asleep.


End file.
